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A “right to repair” movement tools up

economist.com

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Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#301

Post by 4ad »

leopoldo wrote: post #47
4ad wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where do I find all this mythical stuff that I want? I want a new car with no software, no computers, no GPS, no radio, no power windows, no keyless entry, no thermostat. Where do I find it? Realistically I can only chose between crap I don't want. And if I buy an older car, not only I have to deal with problems that would otherwise be avoidable if I bought a new car, but the government doesn't want me to use old car…

You know what? I got your answer, I have this beautiful 0-mile device without all those gadgets and crap. No keyless entry, no GPS, no radio, no (power)windows, no thermostat, minor software and computers (just to control the engine and emmissions). If you want add-ons you add them yourself: - GPS -> mount your smartphone - Thermostat -> more/less clothes - Radio -> get a bluetooth headset for your helmet - The list…

Thank goodness they didn't manage to compromise motorcycles yet!

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#302

Post by hydrogen18 »

convolvatron wrote: post #137
hydrogen18 wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So MegaCorp A buys a huge amount of Cisco gear to modern their internal networks in all their infrastructure. Two years later OmniCorp B enters into a deal to add them to their portfolio for whatever price they agreed upon. OmniCorp B now owns the physical Cisco gear but doesn't have a license to use it?

how big of a customer is OmniCorp?

Someone on the scale of Atlas Copco

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Copco

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#303

Post by tmccrmck »

api_or_ipa wrote: post #299

I will say I particularly enjoy the Jeep communities DIY or die attitude about fixing their vehicles. The dealership may not support them anymore, but plenty of great individuals pick up the slack and sell parts that often improve on original flaws. Mr Blaine from Black Magic Brakes is a great example. http://www.blackmagicbrakes.com/

My 1995 Jeep Cherokee is the reason why I'm weary of too much electronics in cars. And I'm a serial electronics tinkerer. Need a new engine? Do it yourself. Need a new alternator? No problem. Install larger tires? There's a million kits out there ready for anyone to do it.

And since there's so many enthusiasts out there it's really cheap. I needed a new door so I bought one for a hundred bucks and installed it myself in 20 minutes.

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#304

Post by AceyMan »

thix0tr0pic wrote: post #298
AceyMan wrote: post #148

Anyone in this thread know or should know THE GUY who tackles these considerations from the orthogonal position — AvE ("Arduinio vs Evil"). He cracks gear open before he's ever turned it on to look for build quality and/or any janky crap, then reassembles and runs it after. (No, he's not batting 1.000, but he's good.) Classic teardown here of some sweet gear from the fourth smallest country (area) in Europe (0m37s, 1…

for the curious: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13909365

That's the one. It's action packed mech eng banter, in a good way.

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#305

Post by erikpukinskis »

icebraining wrote: post #190
erikpukinskis wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your instincts are correct, you're describing the future. But there's a problem preventing it from working today. Your idea only really works if you can get a large number of these artisans on board, across many disciplines, and keep their "dance card" stocked. The issue is that solving any problem in software costs about $1000. And typically if you want to solve one problem you need to solve 2-20 others first. Your…

There are plenty of small companies doing exactly those kinds of projects for SMBs; I worked for one for five years (it's still doing fine, I just moved on). Rather than a bond, which would be unwieldy to implement, we'd take a risk: we develop it for the first few customers for a percentage of the cost, but keeping all rights to the code so we can then reuse it. Some projects pay their bills and some more, others no…

A risk is a bond you sell yourself.

I would argue the issuance of the bond and the separate market for holding risk is key.

Developing a market is key to being able to fund smaller and smaller client segments. This is what I talked about above... with a single origin of corporate ownership there is an upper bound on the number of managers. You need to separate into two markets to meet the entire demand. It's just a matter of graph traversal distances. N corporate boards cannot manage N^2 managers.

But N^2/10 agents can manage N^2 managers. And they take 25%.

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#306

Post by taway_1212 »

TheRealDunkirk wrote: post #256
gjem97 wrote: post #233

I really get frustrated at how many small appliances I end up throwing out. It just doesn't make sense to repair a food processor that breaks. This stuff that's made with a plastic housing doesn't last more than 5 years in my house. Then I look over at my Kitchenaid mixer. You know the iconic one that would look right at home in the kitchen of the 1960s. It's constructed durably, it's repairable, and people go out of…

At this point, I'd be glad to pay double for a washer, dryer, refrigerator, or microwave that lasted more than 7 years. But no matter the gamut of models available at Sears or Lowes, they're all made by the same few manufacturers, and they're all crap. The only option is to pay TEN times as much for commercial-grade units. And I'm considering it.

Supposedly Miele's white goods are better than most other brands. They're on average 3-5x times more expensive, so they have plenty of margins to make durable products.

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#307

Post by wiz21c »

KozmoNau7 wrote: post #219
wiz21c wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe, any thing one buys must be guaranteed by the supplier for 2 years. If one could just push that up to, say, 4 years, it'd nice....

Warranty for 6 months, right to complain for 18 months after that. The difference is the burden of proof. For the initial 6 months, the manufacturer/store has to prove the item was not somehow defective from the beginning, due to manufacturing errors or similar mishaps, even if it broke 5 months and 29 days after the sale. In the following 18 months, the burden of proof shifts to the buyer, to prove that the fault di…

I don't know the detail, but the way you put it, "prove that the fault did not happen to due mistreatment" basically means that user has to prove the he didn't do something. I can prove that I did something, but prove I didn't do, that's a whole lot different.

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#308

Post by squarefoot »

wiz21c wrote: post #307
KozmoNau7 wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Warranty for 6 months, right to complain for 18 months after that. The difference is the burden of proof. For the initial 6 months, the manufacturer/store has to prove the item was not somehow defective from the beginning, due to manufacturing errors or similar mishaps, even if it broke 5 months and 29 days after the sale. In the following 18 months, the burden of proof shifts to the buyer, to prove that the fault di…

I don't know the detail, but the way you put it, "prove that the fault did not happen to due mistreatment" basically means that user has to prove the he didn't do something. I can prove that I did something, but prove I didn't do, that's a whole lot different.

That's why some manufacturers put water "sensors" in cellphones; once water enters, the "sensor" (in quotes because it's not an electronic part) changes its state forever revealing that water poured into the phone even well after it has been cleaned and dried.

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#309

Post by Infernal »

userbinator wrote: post #131
Infernal wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a similar experience, with my iPhone 6 wifi/bluetooth/GPS antenna. Started seeing degraded connectivity and Googled around till I had it narrowed down to that antenna. Was nervous about ripping it apart so first took it to the Apple store with my diagnosis - they said the only choice was to buy a new phone. So, I borrowed my buddy's pentalobe driver set and about an hour later had pulled the logic board out, re…

...and chances are that was simply a solder joint or similar that cracked from the vibration of normal use, since antennae absolutely do not "wear out" from just transmitting or receiving.

Oh absolutely, it uses an attachment that is kind of like a very tiny 9-volt battery terminal, with a nub on one side and a circular spring clip on the other. The one of the four spring clips on the antenna broke off and remained attached to the logic board as I recall, so just had to pop the now-orphaned clip off the logic board after removing the antenna and snap the new one into place.

Re: A “right to repair” movement tools up

#310

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

wiz21c wrote: post #206
benevol wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The main issue is this: We need to reduce consumption overall! It is well known that Americans consume far more natural resources and live much less sustainably than people from any other large country of the world. “A child born in the United States will create thirteen times as much ecological damage over the course of his or her lifetime than a child born in Brazil,” reports the Sierra Club’s Dave Tilford, adding…

In Europe, any thing one buys must be guaranteed by the supplier for 2 years. If one could just push that up to, say, 4 years, it'd nice....

In isolation, maybe, but those 2 additional years are hardly free.
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